Text Box: Rainy Lake Property Owners Association, Inc. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING JULY 7, 2007 Recorded MEETING: Held at Millersburg Elementary School in Millersburg and called to order at 9:05AM. HANDOUTS: Current Newsletter, Agenda, Treasurer’s Report and memo from Voluntary Fish Fund Chairperson, Sue Tesmer. PRESENT: Dennis Farmer, Dave Tesmer, Dave Cook, Chuck Lewis and Marge Brown – because of illness and prior commitment Debbie Siebel and Jim Rochon were unable to attend. A quorum was present. 50 lots must be represented at all GMM’s - 59 lots represented by present members plus the proxy votes, therefore a quorum was present. TREASURERS REORT: Was read by Chuck Lewis. Dave Cook called attention to the backside of the report that listed 31 assessment delinquents for 2007 owing a total of $5,702. Checking Savings Totals General Fund $23,204.61 $ 8,450.65 $31,655.26 Riparian Rights Fund 14,395.43 6,470.00 $20,865.43 Voluntary Fish Fund 1,300.00 1,300.00 Totals $38,900.04 $14,902.65 $53,820.69 Dave explained that the Association will have an audit each year by Thunder Bay Accounting of Rogers City. Ron Koller moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report as read – seconded by John Rose – motion carried. MINUTES: Were read by Marge Brown and Dave Cook. Dave Cook asked for comments to the current Newsletter. Most importantly were the Golden Rules. The President asked members to review the RULES and ask family members and friends to abide by them. Alan Hickman motioned to accept the Minutes as read – seconded by Jim Hayes – motion carried. OLD BUSINESS OF JULY 2006 GMM Covenants & Restrictions: will be covered in New Business Directories: Have been printed and distributed to members. Theft & Vandalism: Don’t call a Board Member – call local authorities should you become a victim or witness a crime. Speed Limit: 20 MPH continues to be the #1 safety issue. Copy Machine, PIE&G, Treasurer’s Salary, RLPOA Contributions: No further discussion needed. Safety Deposit Box: Has been rented from Citizens National Bank in Onaway. The Treasurer and (1) (2) the Secretary have keys. At the suggestion of Thunder Bay Accounting a fire proof/strong box was purchased for the Treasurer. Dumpster: No further discussion needed - property owners are responsible for their own household refuge. Anchoring/storage of any watercraft: is prohibited in the buoyed areas of the beach, park, and boat ramp. Should any watercraft be left over night it will be towed away at the owner’s expense. By Laws: Any changes to the By Laws need not be voted on by the membership. Should any member have questions or wish to review the By Laws they can approach any Board Member. Covenants & Restrictions: Unfortunately the chairperson for the Covenants & Restrictions committee has had to step down. Therefore, that position is open and the board is asking for volunteers to fill this position. (No one offered to take the position) The Covenants & Restrictions are 15+ years old and need an overhaul. This subject will be discussed further in New Business. Assessment Notices: It is the responsibility of the members to contact the Treasurer if they have not receive the notice – notices are mailed to members in January of each year and are due in March. Volunteer Fish Fund: To be covered in New Business. Sue Tesmer has done a great job keeping track of the VFF and ordering the great game fish. Shared Activities: Anyone interested in chairing or sponsoring a shared activity in the Association, such as a fishing contest, annual picnic, boat parade for the 4th of July, etc. please contact a Board Member. The Association did purchase bricks for a walkway in Millersburg. Elections of Officers: To be discussed in New Business. NEW BUSINESS The Board felt it necessary to explain deed restrictions as covered in RLPOA Covenants & Restrictions. Several issues have made it necessary for the Board to get tougher than we really like to. When property is purchased at Rainy Lake the property is deed restricted. This means that the owner is required to follow the Covenants & Restrictions. One of the Restrictions states – at no time is there to be commercial use of the property. There is no renting of property at Rainy Lake. Should there be a mishap of any degree and a suit is filed the liability would fall on ALL of our shoulders. There is no possible way the owner could guarantee that renters would conduct themselves as directed in the Covenants & Restrictions and follow the Golden Rules. Entrance Signs: Are fantastic – The common theme, colors and style are very attractive. Thank you Dennis Farmer for a job well done. Road Abuse: The Board has received some complaints of road abuse. Contractors hired by residents have caused some problems; also people doing DONUTS with their 4 wheelers, etc. have contributed to problems we are experiencing with the Shore roads. When road abuse occurs it affects all of us. Should we all have to pay when someone abuses the roads? It costs $600 every time the Shore roads are grated. The Board is asking all of us to act responsible with regard to this continuing problem. (3) RLPOA Directory: There have been suggestions to change the format of the directory - change from a spiral bound book to something that would be more convenient to insert changes – such as a standard 1” 3 ring binder using 8 ½ “X 11” sheets. A member asked if the directory could be posted on the internet. It was felt that this would make the entire membership available to the public and that was not the intent. All information in the directory is public but, the intent was to share the information with the membership only. Also, some members would like their e-mail addresses added. That would be entirely by permission only. An informal vote was taken and members that did want their e-mail addresses added were instructed to add that information to the sign-up sheet that they had already signed when they entered the GMM. A note will be included in the 2008 assessment notices asking those that want their e-mail address included in the directory to indicate that information when returning their assessment payment. Additional discussion regarding directories – The Board is open to any suggestions just contact a Board Member. There are 270 +/- members – 60 to 65 on average attend the GMM’s. Informal vote – “how many members felt that each property owner should be responsible for the type of binder used for the directory? NO MOTION made but, over all, it was felt that the members would be responsible for their own binder, so therefore, for cost reasons the updated directory will be printed on 81/2” X 11” paper. Whether to print both sides is also a cost factor. Key Responsibilities of Board Members Jim Rochon is and has been responsible for the Shore roads. Chuck Lewis is and has been responsible for lake maintenance issues (buoys, etc.) as well as the directory (Diane Lewis has also volunteered a considerable amount of her time to the directory). Dennis Farmer has been responsible for all the new signs which have been needed for a long time. Dave Tesmer handles all the investigative with our insurance issues and does assist Sue Tesmer with the ordering and planting of the fish. Riparian Rights Committee The Riparian Rights Committee members and the Board have presented a draft of “Memorandum of Understanding” to the DNR. We are not going to publish this MOU to RLPO’s until we have a final version. The issue is – give us water when we need it and the quantities we need – this would protect all property owners in terms of having the level of the lake up in the summer and especially through the month of August. If the intent is IF the DNR wants to hold back water they do it with a clear understanding that we have rights to the water at certain times of the year. Riparian Rights Fund (RRF) vs. the Voluntary Fish Fund (VFF) – A heated discussion ensued - Dave Cook, with the help of present members, explained that RRF has been held in reserve in case RLPOA needs to take the DNR to court. The VFF is just for stocking the lake with fish. Should the DNR agree to our request to release water when it is in both the DNR and RLPOA interest then the funds left in the RRF, by vote of the membership, would be placed in whatever/wherever the members direct the funds to be placed. We are in our 5th year of negotiations with the DNR and having the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed and reviewed by an attorney would be a huge step forward. Perry Kryscynski gave a summation as to where we presently stand with the DNR. Should the DNR sign the MOU and recognize our request and they FAIL to comply we have a SIGNED & DATED document that could be used in a court of law. Should we have to go to court RLPOA could be looking at +/- $60,000 just to start the proceedings? (4) We are continuing with the testing of the water flow and sediments, etc. Our intent is to settle this issue without going to court. Senator Jason Allen and County Drain Commissioner Charles Lyons are dedicated to our cause. Rainy Lake is built on a Karst Bottom (lime stone) which can be sink holes. The lime stone shifts and breaks open allowing the water to gradually leave the lake. The minerals and sediments are needed to seal the shift in the lime stone. The minerals and sediments flow from the Rainy River into Rainy Lake. The DNR has suggested that the holes be plugged using tarps, etc. It has been tried and also hay bales were used and neither worked. The DEQ suggested that we “clay “the bottom of the lake. This would be ultra expensive and may only be a temporary fix. We need the signed MOU. The management of the DNR frequently changes therefore, unlike past agreements that the present management of the DNR do not recognize a signed and dated document would hold up in court no matter who is in charge. A” Memorandum of Understanding is the next best thing to a legal and binding document. Sue Tesmer updated the members regarding the Voluntary Fish Fund (VFF). Sue Tesmer is the chairperson for the VFF and her support staff includes Randy Springs, Alan Hickman, Addie Gallatin and Dave Tesmer. Sue acknowledged her staff and expressed her gratitude for all the support and work members have given to the cause. In the spring of 2006 rainbow trout were planted and in the fall 8” to 10” walleye were planted. The plan for this past spring (2007) was to stock our lake with black crappy but circumstances that the team had no control over the 1200 black crappy will be planted this fall (2007). Each planting has been accompanied by +/- 10 gallons of flathead minnows. The fish are purchased from only certified suppliers. At no time are fish allowed into our State from suppliers from other states. Sue also took the opportunity to thank all members for their generous donations to VFF and urged members to call her with comments, suggestions and any questions they might have. Jason Gallatin requested that all members that do fish Rainy Lake please make a donation to the VFF. If any of your watercraft have been in other lakes it is encouraged that the watercraft be thoroughly washed before launching it into Rainy Lake to prevent the invasion of foreign aquatic life. NEW BUSINESS New Signs - Dennis Farmer reported on the new signage throughout the subdivision. He hoped all members had taken notice of the new entrance signs, the directional signs, Shore signs and portal signs at Healy Creek and Rainy River. You can also contact Dennis with any questions and suggestions. Address’s – Dave Cook reminded the members that the County has recommended all dwellings have the green and white number sign designating the address at the front of their property for emergency purposes. This is a recommendation not a requirement. Fish Fund – Marge Brown motioned to reinstate the fish fund ($5/each parcel) and have it appear on the association dues notice along with the Riparian Rights Fund ($5/each parcel) and to give back to the fish fund the sum of $2, 000 plus that was originally in the fish fund before the entire fund was made into the RRF. After in depth discussion Marge Brown amended the motion to read - Reinstate the $5.00 fish fund as (5) mandatory and have it appear on the association dues notice and to continue the RRF on the same association dues notice – seconded by Scott Sheets – Dave Cook reminded everyone “one vote for one lot”. Motioned carried. Members are still encouraged to make donations to the VFF and Sue Tesmer and staff will continue with ordering and organizing the stocking of the fish. Millersburg plans to honor and memorialize military personnel who are active, have been honorably discharged or are deceased by installing a walkway from the gazebo to a large rock. The cost will be $25 for each brick. Members were informed that a lap top computer and printer were purchased for the Treasurer. Jason Gallatin displayed very attractive sweatshirts and T-shirts that had Rainy Lake imprinted on them. Adult sweatshirts are $15.00 and can be purchased in blue w/white lettering or grey w/blue lettering also adult T shirts are gray only @ $8.00 each. Children’s T shirts are also grey @ $6.00 each and can be order either w/ blue lettering or pink lettering. Jason will take orders after the meeting or you can contact Addie Gallatin and/or her mother. Shore Roads – The largest expenditure in our budget are the roads - The major problem is the brume (lip) that has built up on each side of the road that has been created by grating. The roads should be crowned allowing run off. The cost to pull the brume to the middle of the road is $1,600 to $1,800 and does not include the grating. This charge does not include any additional materials like gravel, etc. Improvements are necessary for West Shore and East Shore. The cost to purchase a culvert is $300 and $1,800 for the labor. Jim Hayes motioned to have a committee formed to establish a 5 year plan for the maintenance of all the Shore roads. A second motion was not made therefore, a vote was not taken. To hire a private contractor would cost 3 times as much as the County charges. We have stayed with the County because of - (1) cost factor, (2) their dependability and (3) their timely response. Election of Officers The current Board of Officers would like to continue on the RLPOA Board for 2007/2008. Jim Hayes motioned to retain the present Board members for 2007/2008 – Alan Hickman seconded the motion – motion carried. Motion for adjournment at (no time given) was made at by (no name) – seconded by (no name) – motion carried. Respectfully, Marge Brown, Secretary

Annual Meeting 2007

Rainy Lake Property Owners Association, Inc.

To contact us:

Phone: 586 465 0065

E-mail: rploa@core.com